Seasons The Greening of Maplewood
Farming Through The Years By Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner
1,500 miles – that is the average distance our food travels! There are consequences to this long distance travel including environmental impacts due to increased emissions and packaging, loss of freshness and flavor, and use of pesticides after harvest to increase shelf life. Because of these concerns, there is a growing movement in urban communities to better understand our food supply and to eat food produced closer to home. Our food didn’t have to travel so far in the past when Maplewood was a community of farmers. The Homestead Act of 1862 opened up land to settlers who would farm for five years. At that time, farming in the Maplewood area was appealing because farmers could sell their produce to St. Paul, the growing city to the south. By the turn of the century Maplewood was almost completely farmed. Today we see remnants of Maplewood’s farming history. The Bruentrup Heritage Farm, established in 1891, was one of the
last operating farms in Ramsey County. It was owned and operated by three generations of the Bruentrup family and was primarily a dairy farm. The Maplewood Area Historical Society now operates the farm as a historical interpretive center. The Ramsey County Poor Farm served the poor and the elderly from 1885 to 1950. Residents of the farm who were physically able had to work on site for their keep. When the operations ceased, the farmland was transformed into other county uses. But the historic barn, built in 1918, still stands and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Ramsey County Correctional Facility (RCCF) once raised cattle and hogs. The meat was used by RCCF and by Boys Totem Town. In 1996, the livestock operations ceased due to costs and impacts to the neighborhood. Today RCCF has a plant nursery where inmates help grow native trees, shrubs, flowers and wetland plants for use in public programs throughout the state. A drastic change to Maplewood’s farmland came after World War II when builders converted thousands of acres in the Twin Cities into neighborhoods of homes. Residents of those homes wanted improved
Spring 2013 services like sewer, water, better roads, and to be separated from the “nuisances” caused by farming. The City’s first zoning code was adopted in 1965 and was designed to separate the land uses. Because of the demand for organic, locallygrown produce in our area, we are seeing an increase in urban farming – both as a hobby and commercially. More residents are keeping chickens for eggs and bees for honey, tapping maple trees for syrup, and growing produce in their backyards. Businesses are developing new systems or tweaking old farming methods to better fit the urban environment. One urban farming business in Maplewood is Garden Fresh Farm (www.gardenfreshfarms.com). This farm uses aquaponics technology in a warehouse to raise fish and produce, turning the fish waste into fertilizer for plants. In 2013, the Environmental and Natural Resources Commission will be reviewing how the City can increase access to locally grown food and remove regulatory barriers to urban farming, without negatively impacting neighborhoods. For more information on urban farming review the local foods guide enclosed or visit www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/localfoods.
Visit Maplewood’s Farm History
Bruentrup Heritage Farm New Dairy Exhibit, June 14-15 www.maplewoodhistoricalsociety.org
Ramsey County Correctional Facility Plant Sale, First 3 Weekends in May www.co.ramsey.mn.us/cc/index.htm
Ramsey County Poor Farm Ramsey Co. Fair - 4H and Farmer for a Day, July 10-14 www.ramseycountyfair.com